Headlight-operating means.



E. C. KING.

HEADLIGHT OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. mos.

924,557. Patented June 8, 1909.

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i'nuenkoz witne/aoeo Edward an 0. KING. HEADLIGHT OPERATING MEANS.APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1908 Patented June 1 2909.

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w n t o L; ra citizen of the United States,

UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT orsron.

EDWARD 0. KING, OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.

HEADLIGHT-OPERATING MEANS.

To all :whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARDC. KING,

Charlottesville, in the county of Albemarle and State of Vir inia, haveinvented certain new and useful mprovements in Headlight- OperatlngMeans, of which the following is a specification.

, Thepresent invention is designed to equip lpcomotive engines,automobiles and the hke with headlights and actuating means thereforwhereby the rays of light may be thrown straight ahead or in thedirection of the prescribed course, so that the way may be llghted whenrounding curves or turning corners and whereby 1n the case oflocomotives the light may be thrown so as not to shed the rays along thetrack and thereby cause confusion.

I The invention contem lates a, motor cylinder, meanafor contro ling asupply of motive medium thereto, -a compensatorfor normally maintainingthe-light in-a given position or straight ahead, and novel an eculiarmountings and connections for the eadli ht. 1 f

Whi e the invention may be adapted to different forms and conditions bychanges in the structure and minor details without deartin from thespirit or essential features thereo still the preferred embodiment ofthe invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. V

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details of constructionof the meansfor effecting the result, reference is to be had to thefollowingdescription and nected, said shaft being s a POISPGCUVGVlGW ofaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a s'de view of a locomotive engine provided with a headlightembodying the invention. Fig. 2 is'a top plan view of the compensatorand motive cylinder showing the connecting rod and rack bar and theshaft to which the headlight is conin section. Fig. 3 the headlight, itsmountings-and operating means. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the partsillustrated in Fig. 2,, the upper portion v .of the headlight, bembroken away. Fig. 5 is a view on the me aca: of Figf 2 looking in thedirectionof the arrow.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated Specification of Letters Patent.Application'filed'November 25 1908.

residing at Patented June 8,1909.

Serial- No. 464,411.

in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The headlight .1 may be of any design and is mounted to turn about avertical axis and is provided with a shaft 2 pendent from its base andmounted in a platform 3 and in a crosspiece 4 joining braces 5 by-meansof which the platform 3 is supported at its outer' end Anti-frictiondevices, as rollers 6 are interposed between the base of the headlight.and the latform 3 to reduce the friction "to the smal est amountpossible.

inion 7 fast to the shaft 2 is in mesh with a rack bar 8 connected tomove with a rod 9 which is provided at one end with a piston 10 and atits 0 posite end with a head 11. The rack bar 8 ms its end portionsmounted in guides 12 provided at the inner or opposing ends oflongitudinally alined cylinders 13 and 14. The cylinder 14 which is amotoi cylinder has its opposite ends connected by means of pi 30S 15 and16 with a suitably constructed va ve 17 conveniently located to beeasily operated to control the supply of motive medium to the cylinder14 and to exhaust the spent motive medium therefrom in the manner wellunderstood. As indicated in Fig. 1 the valve 17 is located within thecab of a locomotive engine and may have connection with the boiler,train pipe or compressed air reservoir, according to the nature of themotive medium employed for moving the piston 10 in the c linder 14. Thecylinder 13 is provided mi way of its endswith an annular stop 18 andreceives washers 19 and 20 and springs 21 and 22, the latter beingconfined between the heads of' the cylinder and the respective washers19 and 20.

The cylinder 13 and adjunctive parts constitute in effect a compensatorWhose urpose is to prevent shock when the headlig it is returned tonormal position and which-comensator also acts as a meansfor returningtheheadlight to a given osition when the valve 17 is turned to e austthe motive medium from the end of the cylinder into which it was lastadmitted for operating the piston to turn the headlight in the properirection through the instrumentality of the rack bar 8 and pinion 7.Under normal conditions the piston 10 66cm ies a central osition withinthe motor cy inder 14 an the head 11 occu ies alike position within thecylinder 13 o the compensator.

When the valve 17 is operated to admit motive medium of the pipe 15 intothe lefthand end of the cylinder 14 the piston 10 is moved to the rightthereby compressing the spring 22 and causing the headli ht to turn inone direction. Upon moving t e valve 17 to exhaust the motive mediumfrom the lefthand end of the cylinder 14 the spring 22 expands and movesthe head 11 and piston to normal position thereby returning. the

loheadlight to a given position, that is, with the rays of light shedstraight ahead. Upon admitting the motive medium through the pipe 16into the right-hand end of the motive cy inder 14 the piston 10 is movedto the left 15 and the spring 21 is compressed, and when 'relieving theright-hand end of the cylinder 14 from pressure by means of the valve 17the spring 21 expanding returns to the normal position.

The washers 19 and 20 are limited in their movement toward each other bymeans of the annular'stop 18, hence either spring ma becompressedwithout the other spring f0 lowing. The head 11 is approximately of athickness corresponding to the length of the annular stop 18, or thedistance between the washers 19 and 20 whereby the-piston is held in agiven position by the action of the springs 21 and 22 and the washers-19 and 20 upon opposite sides of said head'll and in engagement withopposite ends of the annu- 'lar stop 18. The openings in the washers 19and 20 are of a size to snugly fit the rod 9 and the washers themselvesclosely fit the cylinder 13, hence the washers form guides for the innerend of the head 11 thereby directing the latter into-the spacecircumscribed by the annular stop 18 and preventing said head 11catching upon either end of the an *40, nular stop 18. By operatin thevalve 17 either to the right or to the eft, the headlight may be turnedin the required direction so as to shed rays of light along theprescribed course Whether rounding,a curve or turning a corner,according to the adaptation v of the lnvention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new is:

1. In combination a headlight mounted to turn about a vertical axis, amotor cylinder, means for admitting motive medium into either end of.the motor cylinder, a piston arranged to operate in the motor cylinder,a

compensator comprising oppositely acting springs, a rod connecting saidpiston with the compensator and connecting means between said rod andthe headlight for positively moving the latter.

2. In combination, a headlight mounted to turn about a vertical axis,cooperating longitudinally alined-cylinders, a rod arranged tooperate insaid cylinders and provided at one end with a piston and at the oppositeend with a head, means for supplying motive medium to either end ofthecylinder receiving said piston, springs located in the other cylinderand arranged to act upon opposite sides of said head and actuating meansbetween the said head and .the headlight to move the latter in therequired direction.

3. In combination a headlight, a rod having connection with theheadlight to turn the same, amotor cylinder receiving the end of saidrod, a piston fast to the end of the rod and arranged to operate withinsaid motor cylinder, a second cylinder receiving the opposite end ofsaid rod and provided mtermediate of its ends with an annular stop, ahead fast to the inner end of the rod arranged within said secondcylinder, springs arranged upon opposite sides of said head and in opposite endportions' of the second cylinder, and washers located uponopposite sides of said inner stop and sustaining the inner end thrust ofthe springs, said washers adaptedto be engaged by a head and movablethere: with to compress the spring in engagement with the movablewashers. 4. In combination a head light, arackand pinion connectioncooperating; with said headlight to turn the same about a vertical axis,a rod connected with said ra'ckbar, a compensator'cooperating with said"rod and comprising oppositely acting springs, a mo-v torcylinder, apiston arranged to operate in the motor cylinder and having connectionwith the said rod, and means for admitting motive medium into oppositeends of the motor cylinder; 4

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatur in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD 0. KING. Witnesses J. A. GANZERT; I C. T. HARN.

